Almost all those who addressed city council Monday regarding the Official Community Plan (OCP) and the future of the Steven’s quarry site were opposed to having a gravel pit there.

There was consistency in their opposition, as they cited dust, noise and the use of prime land that could be used for residential purposes.

Many thanked council for removing Steven’s as the future site for gravel extraction. Some of those who made submissions live at the north end of the city and beyond.

“To put that quarry there where people have, where Yukoners have dug their roots, really would be to me, it would be a dereliction,” renowned Yukon dog musher Frank Turner told council.

“Move it to where there is not development right now.”

The city held the second of two public hearings Monday on council’s review of the OCP.

The intent of the review is to have the OCP guide the city, its growth and development out to 2040.

There have been proposed changes since the review began that have been included in subsequent drafts of the document.

During the review so far, for instance, council has changed the designation of Steven’s Quarry from natural resource extraction to future planning. Steven’s has been identified as one of the largest untapped gravel resources in the city.

Council has also removed the proposal for a traffic corridor through the McIntyre Creek area linking the Alaska Highway with Mountainview Drive.

Allowance for new building heights have also been adjusted.

Many of those who addressed council on the Steven’s Quarry issue thanked council for removing the natural resource extraction designation and changing it to future planning.

For him, Turner said, the Steven’s issue is not about quarries, it’s about values.

There have been instances where money and economy have driven the agenda at the expense of the environment, he said.

Turner said Yukoners have it pretty good up here, but they can’t take that for granted.

There was, however, support for the quarry designation.

Murray Arsenault, the president of the Yukon Contractors Association, said the association does not support the removal of future quarry opportunities at Steven’s.

“The reality is the City of Whitehorse is running out of gravel,” Arsenault told council.

He said the gravel sources the city has currently, such as the McLean Lake quarry, are running out of gravel.

“So the question is: what do we do to find more gravel?”

Arsenault said a replacement for McLean Lake will be required in the mid- to long-term.

The McLean Lake pits could be running short in three to five years, he said, and contractors are looking for new sources.

Arsenault said concerns about noise and dust can be mitigated.

Nana Lehnherr thanked council for removing Steven’s as a future source of gravel, as did the others who are opposed to a gravel quarry in the Steven’s area.

“My family and neighbours have been fighting against Steven’s quarry for 30 years,” she told council. “Please do not develop the area.”

Lehnherr noted at one point, there was a petition signed by more than 9,300 people opposing the quarry.

Liberal cabinet minister Ranj Pillai promised during the 2021 territorial election campaign that the Liberals would not allow a quarry development in the Steven’s area, she pointed out.

Philip Merchant said he’s been a resident of MacPherson Road for 40 years now.

Having a gravel pit at Steven’s Quarry is simply not compatible, he suggested.

Merchant said the city should remove all references to Steven’s quarry on its maps and such because it’s not a quarry, and to keep the name is a disservice to the public, or at least the city should use the word “proposed”.

If a quarry was allowed at Steven’s, it would attract other industrial interests such as an asphalt plant and a concrete plant, he said.

The Steven’s area, Merchant said, is valuable land that will assist the city with future growth and the need for more housing.

The area is located off the Alaska Highway just west of the Mayo Road intersection.